You’ve decided you want to start a new gaming group? Awesome! I’m going to give you what I’ve learned having started a few. For this article, I’m going to focus on how to start an RPG group. There are some small differences, but for the most part, what you read here will help you getting any gaming group off the ground.
1) Get ready to be the GM AND the teacher. Sure, we all love to play, but you’re the GM now. You’re the one pushing to get the word out, so anyone who joins up will, by definition, be a follower. That’s not bad. We all started there. But, you will most likely be running the games you’re organizing for a while. Once the groups have gotten bigger, things might take off, and you get to be on the player side of the GM screen. For now, though, you’re going to have to be the GM.
2) Find Your Game. You love something. It’s why you want to show it off to somebody else and get them to play. Now you need to find which part of the game you want to show off. You might want to play Pathfinder. But what does that mean? Are you doing Pathfinder Society? Are you running a home game with Paizo published adventure paths? Are you going to do your own custom ponyfinder hack? You need to know what you want to do with the group you’re starting. Once you have this, you can move forward. Also, you can see if the RPG you want to play will help you start a group. Some games like Dungeon Crawl Classics offer GM’s prize packs and free adventures to run their games.
3) Find a Location. You might have the most awesome custom dungeon themed basement of anyone one in New York. Your gaming set up features the best, most comfortable chairs anyone has ever sat in and you’ve got the most high end gaming table from Geek Chic. Yet inviting random strangers to come to your house will prove problematic. Advertising “Come to role-play in my basement dungeon!” sounds shady. You are probably going to start in one of a few places: a hobby store, a library, or a school. All of those are public places where you can meet up with friend and strangers alike. Everybody will feel comfortable and welcome. Keep in mind your church too. You may have to reconsider your custom Fatal/Gem and the Holograms RPG hack, but public places will get you exposure as well as being the safe space you and your potential players need. For this step, you just have to find a location. We’ll ask for permission in the next step.
4) Find a Time(s). Once you’ve identified a location, you then have to find if and when they will let you play. This is the first hard part and may take a bit of time and explaining. The general public doesn’t know or understand the hobby. It’s getting better, but you may want to prepare an elevator explanation of what you want to do especially if you’re running games at a coffee shop or a library. Here is where things really can grind to a halt. Libraries and non-gaming stores may not have space available all the time or may need you to fill out forms or to ask for permission from others up a chain of command.
If you don’t get approved, don’t get discouraged. Go back to step 2 and repeat until you get it. Once you get permission and location approved, you’ll need to operate under the time constraints of that location. Does the library close at 9PM on week days? Then, 8:50 is when your game ends. Can you not get conference rooms at the church on Wednesdays? Then you’re not running your game on Wednesdays. Once you know when you can play, then you are able to find when you want to play. Weekly? Monthly? Quarterly? This is completely up to you.
5) Advertise! You’ve got a game, you’ve got a place, and you’ve got a time. Now you need to get people. Here is you need to sell your game. Facebook groups, library event boards, cork boards at game stores, meet-up posting, and Warhorn are all great places to post your event. Even having flier to give out at conventions will get the word out. I’ve got business cards that I carry with me that I hand out at conventions and even to random geeks I meet at Subway (Eat Fresh and Roll for init!). Get your name out there!
6) Get to your game (and bring a book!). You’ve set up the game, gotten ready, and have your time and place. Now you need to get to your game and play. But, the first time (or few times), you might not have any players. This is normal. Sorry, but you just need to get to the location, and wait. Set up your gear, set up some books to show off your game, and get ready to wait. You NEED to be visible, and you will now be the best piece of advertising you’ve got. Spending four hours visible to the general population will help you be there to answer questions and advertise in person. Good luck!
7) Play your game! After a few weeks/months, you will hopefully have a good “core” group of gamers who now want to play. Good luck and get out there and have some fun!
8) Know when to say when… Sometimes your game won’t take off. You may be the GM, but that doesn’t mean people are interested in playing the game you want them to play. You have three options: keep trying, try something else, or quit. It’s hard to keep trying, but honestly if you love what you play then you’re going to keep at it. Otherwise, if you want to try something new, that’s ok too. The last options are the saddest, but maybe the location, time, or game isn’t working. Take some time to mentally regroup, find a nice play by post, and start again after a few months. You need to keep you happy. Remember: you’re the most excited person there. When it’s not fun for you any more, it won’t be for your players.
I’ve started groups at a coffee shop, a comic store, and the library. I’ve had a lot of success, but I’ve also had a few games fail. Getting started is the hardest part. I can’t tell you how many weeks my wife and I sat drinking coffee for three hours waiting for new players. Now, we’ve got over 16 people and are constantly getting more. It takes time. It takes perseverance. And most importantly, it takes a love of the game. Don’t lose that spark you had to start this. That spark will warm you during the cold, alone times until you get those first few players. Remember, you’re the alpha geek! Good luck!
